Various types of sheet product dispensers are known in the art, including mechanical and automated dispensers configured to allow a user to obtain a length of sheet product from a roll of sheet product disposed within the dispenser. Sheet product dispensers generally are configured to dispense a particular type of sheet product, such as bath tissue, facial tissue, wipes, napkins, or paper towels. Additionally, sheet product dispensers often are configured for use in a certain environment, such as a home, commercial, industrial, or medical environment, taking into account the operating conditions, expected user traffic, and distinct performance requirements. For example, in some medical environments, such as the patient rooms of hospitals or other medical facilities, user traffic at the dispenser may be relatively low, but performance requirements of the dispenser may be great, due at least in part to an increased need for hygienic operation as well as efficiency demands of medical personnel who was their hands frequently.
According to certain configurations, sheet product dispensers may be automated devices configured to rotatably support the roll within the dispenser for dispensing sheet product therefrom. During operation of such dispensers, a dispensing mechanism may advance a length of sheet product out of the dispenser for a user to grasp and separate from the roll, as may be facilitated by a tear bar of the dispenser or a predefined area of weakness, such as a line of perforations, defined in the sheet product. In this manner, during use of the dispenser, the user touches only the sheet product that is removed, while the roll remains protected within the dispenser.
Depending on the frequency of their use, sheet product dispensers may require frequent reloading of sheet product by facility environmental services (EVS) personnel, such as janitorial personnel, in order to meet user demand. For certain dispensers, a new roll of sheet product may be loaded into the dispenser by opening a cover of the dispenser, unsealing a “tail” (i.e., an exposed end portion of the sheet product) of the roll from a remainder of the roll, mounting the roll within the dispenser via roll supports or stub spindles of the dispenser, positioning the unsealed tail adjacent to or in a portion of the dispensing mechanism (such as adjacent to or in an in-running nip) or under a transfer bar, and closing the cover. This process of loading the dispenser may present several shortcomings. In particular, the loading process may be time-consuming and cumbersome for EVS personnel because of the need to manually unseal the tail and position the unsealed tail in a particular manner with respect to the dispensing mechanism or the transfer bar. Moreover, the new roll of sheet product may be exposed to unsanitary conditions and potential contaminants during transport of the roll to the dispenser and/or loading of the roll in the dispenser. For example, the roll often may be removed from a case or other packaging prior to being transported to the dispenser, and thus the roll may come into contact with airborne environmental contaminants. Additionally, EVS personnel may directly handle the roll during transport and/or loading, creating a risk of cross-contamination.
These shortcomings may be particularly significant for dispensers used in certain medical environments, such as the patient rooms of hospitals or other medical facilities. Due to the large number of patient rooms and thus the large number of dispensers in such facilities, the inefficient dispenser loading process may result in a high overall cost of maintaining the dispensers loaded with sheet product as well as user frustration on the part of EVS personnel. Additionally, the risk of exposing new rolls of sheet product to contaminants during transport and/or loading of the rolls may be of great concern in such facilities, where hygienic practices are critical for preventing hospital-acquired infections.
There is thus a desire for improved sheet product dispensers and related methods for loading a roll of sheet product in a dispenser for dispensing therefrom. Such dispensers and methods should address one or more of the shortcomings noted above while also satisfying the performance requirements of the intended operating environment.